Spring 2023

Newsletter Archive

Beavers from Space

Become a dam detective by searching satellite imagery for signs of beavers on the landscape.

Despite the cultural and ecological importance of ksisskstaki (beaver) little is known about their presence in Alberta's streams and rivers. By searching through satellite imagery for beaver dams and lodges in the waterways of the Kainai Nation (Blood Tribe) in southern Alberta, Beavers from Space seeks to determine where beavers are present on the landscape and where they are not. Volunteer citizen scientists will search through imagery of over 7,000 kilometres (4,300 miles) of streams within the study area, a task that would be overwhelming and expensive to undertake with field work alone. This information, in combination with field work data, will inform riparian (river ecosystem) restoration locations, which may include the installation of beaver dam analogues. Beaver dam analogues are a proven riparian restoration technique that improves watershed health and function by mimicking the work of beavers.

The project team includes the Miistakis Institute, Blood Tribe Land Management, and Cows and Fish - Alberta Riparian Habitat Management Society.

Become a dam detective today - visit: www.zooniverse.org/projects/ab-beavers/beavers-from-space